Veritas et Gaudium
by DarthMittens
Summary: AU. Momo Hinamori is starting her first day at Karakura High, where she meets a cold and friendless boy named Toushirou Hitsugaya. Can she melt the ice that envelops his heart, especially with all the drama High School brings? Full Summary Inside.
1. A Crazy First Day

**A/N: AU. No Shinigami. All characters are around the same age and in the same grade in High School.**

**Momo Hinamori was an orphan who was recently adopted and is starting at Karakura High. There she meets an interesting boy named Toushirou Hitsugaya, who seems cold and distant and has no friends by personal choice. Can Hinamori melt the ice that envelops his heart, especially with all the drama that High School brings surrounding them? Hitsugaya/Hinamori, Ichigo/Rukia, and more.**

**As a side note, the title is Latin for 'Truth and Happiness'. I just think it sounds cooler in Latin.**

**Veritas et Gaudium **

**Chapter 1 – A Crazy First Day**

Despite it being a hot September morning, Momo Hinamori pulled the long sleeves of the shirt under her school uniform all the way down her arms. She figured it would be harder to make friends if they saw what was on them, and she didn't know how…_he'd_ react. Shifting her bag on her shoulder so it felt more comfortable, she turned the corner of the street, and the school she was now attending came into view.

Momo was very excited—today was her first day attending Karakura High. It was also the first day back for the returning students. She walked into the school ten minutes before class started and was assaulted by noise. Lockers slamming, students laughing, and friends telling each other what they did over the summer.

Momo was in class 3-1, so she headed up to the third floor, making sure to avoid being knocked over by the wild hand gestures her peers were making as they told extravagant (and most likely a bit exaggerated) stories. When she got to the third floor she looked for her locker, which turned out to be a couple rows down from her classroom door.

"Okay," she said to herself just loud enough for her to hear over the cacophony of her fellow students. "Go left to twenty-nine," she turned the dial left to the little mark that signified 29, "right to seven, and back left to eighteen."

She pulled on the locker's handle but nothing happened. She put the combination in again and pulled, but it still didn't work. She tried for a third time, and now a bit frustrated, pulled on her locker repeatedly. She looked at the clock above the classroom and nearly had a heart attack—she only had two minutes to get to class. The school had stocked all of the lockers with each student's set of books, so she really needed to get in it.

"Do you need some help?" an unnaturally deep voice asked.

Momo turned around and looked up, and kept looking up, and looked up a bit more, until she saw the face of a student who was extremely tall. Well, that certainly explained the deep voice. "Yes please," she said timidly.

Momo handed him her locker card and he began fiddling with the dial, speaking as he did so. "Are you new?"

"Yes," Hinamori replied simply.

"My name is Sado Yasutora," he said. "But everyone calls me Chad."

"Thank you…Chad," said Momo. "I'm Hinamori Momo."

Chad had finished putting in the combination and said, "Watch." He hit the locker right above the lock and pulled, and the locker miraculously swung open to reveal Momo's books.

"Oh, thank you so much!" exclaimed Momo, reaching in and grabbing her books.

"It was no problem at all," said Chad as he closed Momo's locker after she had finished. They walked into class together and sat in the last two empty seats, which were on completely separate sides of the room, just as the tardy bell rang.

"Good morning, class," said a man who was wearing a flowered kimono and a sakkat (straw hat) standing in front of the class, whom Momo figured was her teacher. The teacher scanned the seats and after a satisfied nod, plopped into his seat as if he had been standing for several hours straight. "Well," he said lazily, "it looks like everyone's here. To our new student, my name is Kyouraku Shunsui, and I will be your teacher for the year. As it's the first day of school, I think I'll start you off with something easy. All of you turn to page five of your math textbooks and do all of the problems on it, then you can have free time until your first break."

"Kyouraku-san, I must object," said a young woman no older than twenty from the doorway. She was wearing a pair of glasses and had a notebook clutched in her arms. "This is the eleventh grade, not kindergarten."

"Come on, Nanao," said Kyouraku to the woman, whom Momo thought must have been his assistant teacher, probably studying to become a teacher herself. "I'm the teacher here, and I think that not overloading their brains at first the best approach possible."

The Nanao woman stamped her foot and fumed silently as Kyouraku said, "This is Ise-san, everybody. She is studying to become a teacher herself and will be my assistant this year."

Everybody got out their textbooks happily and Momo pulled hers out. This seemed a little odd. At her previous school everything had been work, work, work. Was this some sort of joke on the new kid? But then why was the teacher in on it?

She knew at the very least that she should do the assigned work. So she got out a piece of paper and a pencil, flipped to page five—which seemed to be review—in her math textbook, and began working.

There were only 30 questions and they were relatively easy, so Momo finished fairly quickly. She looked up at the clock and saw that it was only 8:30. School had started at 8 and the first break wasn't until 10:30, which meant that she had two hours of free time…_if this isn't just a joke, _Momo thought to herself.

Momo had finished before most of her classmates, so she took to studying them. The first thing she saw when she looked in front of her was messy orange hair. Momo wondered if that was its natural color.

To her left sat a girl who seemed to be much more physically mature than she was, for she was well-developed, which was heightened by the fact that a few of the top buttons of her school uniform were unbuttoned.

Momo then took a glance behind her to find a boy with glasses and shoulder-length black hair. He too was finished with the school work and working on sewing what seemed to be a stuffed lion.

And on her right sat a boy who couldn't have been any older than 13. If he stood up, Momo would've guessed him to be 5'1". Momo wondered if he was a boy genius that had skipped a few grades. Then the boy looked over at her—obviously she had been caught staring. She only met his eyes for a second, but when she did, she could tell that despite his short stature he probably had the biggest presence in the room.

Within the next five minutes all work had stopped and everyone in the room was talking, probably all still talking about their summers. Momo sat in silence, her hands folded on her desk, unsure of who talk to. She didn't want to go up to someone only to find out that they were mean and end up being teased.

Eventually Momo received attention, but not quite in the matter she had been expecting. "Oh my gosh!" exclaimed a brown-haired boy while clasping his hands in front of him. "Who's the raven-haired goddess that graces me with her presence?"

Momo only had time to blush before the orange-haired kid that sat in front of her punched the brown-haired guy in the stomach, sending him to the floor in pain. The orange-haired kid said, "Sorry about that. He falls in love with every girl he sees. We're not all pervs like him."

"Ichigo, you wound me with your words!" the kid exclaimed from the floor.

"I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, and the perv is Asano Keigo," said Ichigo.

"It's nice to meet you," Momo said politely. "I'm Hinamori Momo."

"Oh! A new student!" gushed the voluptuous student to Momo's left. "I'm Matsumoto Rangiku."

"Oh, hi," said Momo unsurely. This girl seemed to ooze popularity. "Hinamori Momo."

"Hey, Toushirou!" called Rangiku. "This girl's new!"

"How many times have I told you, Matsumoto, to call me Hitsugaya-san?" asked the kid with the white hair coldly. "We definitely aren't on a first-name basis." He turned back to his book. Momo decided she didn't like him very much.

"That's Toushirou Hitsugaya," said Rangiku loud enough for Toushirou to hear. He didn't seem to notice. "I wouldn't really try talking to him. Everybody's tried to be nice to him, but he doesn't seem to want to be friends with anybody."

Momo could believe that statement but decided not to voice her agreement out loud. She thought it important to be nice to everybody unless given a reason not to. "I'm sure that's not true," said Momo back to Rangiku.

Rangiku just raised an eyebrow at her and said, "Toushirou, you don't want any friends, do you?"

"Not particularly," he replied. "And stop calling me Toushirou." Once again, he went back to his book.

Rangiku just looked pointedly at Momo, then glanced down at her attire. "Momo, how can you be wearing long sleeves when it's so hot out?"

Momo nervously darted her eyes around the room, looking for a way to avoid the question. "Um…why's that kid bald?"

"Oh, that's Madarame Ikkaku," said Matsumoto. "He says that's the way he wants it, but between you and me," she lowered her voice, "I think he's already gone bald naturally."

Rangiku pointed to a kid with red hair. "That there is Abarai Renji." Then to a blond boy. "Kira Izuru." Then to a tall girl with silver hair. "Kotetsu Isane. She's going out with Chad. Kotetsu Kiyone. Soifon. Kuchiki Rukia. Ichimaru Gin. Kojima Mizuiro. Ayasegawa Yumichika. Inoue Orihime. Arisawa Tatsuki. Hirako Shinji. Sarugaki Hiyori. And sitting behind you is Ishida Uryuu."

Momo's brain hurt trying to remember all of the information coming at her. "Thank you, Matsumoto-san."

"Oh, don't be such a fart," said Rangiku. "I'm not like Toushirou, you can just call me Rangiku."

"If you call me Toushirou one more time…" Toushirou said menacingly.

"Oh, whatever," said Rangiku, waving her hand at him. "I'm telling you, Momo, you're going to love it here. Where did you say you were from?"

"I didn't," said Momo. "I'm actually from around here, but the orphanage homeschools. I'm only coming here because I was adopted about six months ago."

"Oh," said Rangiku, obviously a bit unsure about what to say. "You know what, Momo, I think we're going to be great friends! You stick with me, and everyone'll know you by the end of the day!"

A bell sounded and the students began filtering outside for their break, most of them heading for the rooftop. Rangiku, Momo, and the boy named Ichimaru Gin all walked up there together, with Rangiku and Gin talking the whole time.

During the break, Momo met and talked to Isane, Rukia, and Tatsuki, all of whom she liked and thought she could eventually be friends with.

When break ended, the group headed back to class and sat back in their seats. "Alright class, this year you have Physical Education right after break, so go on down to the track," said Mr. Kyouraku.

The group headed down to the track, Momo dreading each step. Sports definitely weren't her forte—she was all brain and no brawn. When they arrived at the track, a dark-skinned woman with purple hair was there to greet them. "Hello, class. In case you've forgotten me or if you're new, I'm Yoruichi Shihouin, and it'd be great if you all just called me Yoruichi. Today we'll just be having a friendly game of soccer with…let's see…Hitsugaya-kun and Kurosaki-kun as team captains."

Toushirou sighed and walked in front of the class while Ichigo seemed only slightly more enthusiastic about his captain position.

Toushirou, with the first pick, chose Renji, while Ichigo chose Rukia, who seemed very excited to be with Ichigo. The remaining prospective players slowly dwindled—oddly enough it seemed that people were more excited to be with Toushirou than Ichigo—until Toushirou had the last pick with only Momo left.

Toushirou seemed to study Momo with his cold, intense eyes with a quick glance before saying, "You can have her, Kurosaki. You'll need the extra player anyway."

Momo, who now disliked Toushirou even more, jogged over to where Ichigo's team was standing. Rukia, seeing the disgruntled look on Momo's face, said, "Don't worry about it, it's not you. He's like that to everybody."

But Momo wasn't so sure. Once the soccer match started, Toushirou seemed to make it his personal mission to make her look like a fool. He was there to steal the ball away whenever she got it, and once or twice he went out of his way while he had the ball just to do some fancy trick with it to get past her.

After he did a rainbow over her head and scored a magnificent goal by hitting the top-left corner, Ichigo came up to her with a scowl on his face. "Stupid Toushirou. Thinks he's all that just because he's the captain of the soccer team."

After the soccer game, in which Toushirou scored nine goals to help his team win 11-3, the class headed back to their classroom to grab their lunches. Momo ditched Rangiku, who was chatting with Gin again, and found Rukia, who was currently making her way through the crowd toward Ichigo. "Hello, Rukia."

Rukia glanced back at her. "Hey, Momo."

"Do you mind if I eat with you," she asked nervously. "I mean, it's okay if you say no, I'll understand, but—"

Rukia grabbed Momo's hand, cutting her off. "Stop babbling. Of course you can." And with that, Rukia was dragging Momo with her towards Ichigo.

The three found a spot on the rooftop and were joined by Mizuiro, Keigo, Chad, Isane, Kiyone, Renji, Yumichika, and Ikkaku. Momo felt someone staring at her back and turned around. The first person she noticed was Toushirou, who was facing her, but he was looking at his food.

"So, Hinamori-chan," said Keigo, "what's with the long sleeves? It's like one hundred degrees out here!"

"Oh," replied Momo, "I'm really not hot at all. I never really get hot, period. I think I'm cold-blooded." She chuckled weakly.

"No," replied Isane thoughtfully. "You're too nice to be cold-blooded."

Momo smiled at her gratefully. "You guys are all so nice!"

"We try," said Renji with a chuckle. "More than Rangiku's group anyway. Watch out for them—they'll be nice to you at first to reel you in but then they'll just be cruel to you and use you."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Momo with a grateful smile as she nervously pulled a little on her sleeves. _They'll reel you in by being nice to you, then be cruel and use you_. _Reminds me of…him_, she thought to herself.

Then she felt a pair of eyes boring holes into her back. "Hey, Kurosaki-kun," Momo said quickly. Ichigo was sitting opposite her.

"What?" Ichigo asked.

"Is Toushirou…staring at me?" she asked.

Ichigo discreetly shifted so he could see if Toushirou was staring at her. "Yeah," he said. "Why?"

"I don't know," said Momo. "But I think he really doesn't like me."

"Well," said Ikkaku. "He doesn't really like anyone."

"That's what I've heard," said Momo, "but I think he _really doesn't like me!_ Did any of you guys see what he kept doing to me in the soccer game?"

"No," said Rukia. "What was he doing?"

"I never held the ball for more than two seconds. He always stole it. Nobody came near me but him," said Momo.

"He's the soccer captain," said Yumichika. "Isn't that to be expected?"

"I don't think you understand," said Momo. "How many times did he get the ball from you guys?"

"Um…twice?" said Ichigo. "I don't know, I wasn't really keeping count."

"After the fourth one, I did start counting," said Momo. "He stole the ball from me thirty-seven times!"

"That _is_ a little weird," said Chad thoughtfully. "Maybe you should watch out for him."

"Good idea," said Ikkaku.

"You just tell us if he does anything to you," said Ichigo. "We'll take care of him."

"Thank you," said Momo gratefully with a big smile on her face. She could feel herself getting more comfortable with this group.

Next to Ichigo, Momo noticed that Rukia was staring up at him in admiration.

The rest of lunch passed normally, and by the end of it Momo felt that she could truly call all of them her friends. When the bell rang, she grabbed Rukia's hand and held her back as the rest went on. "What is it?" Rukia asked her as they began walking towards their class together.

"Do you like any boys?" Momo asked out of the blue.

"W-what?" Rukia asked, blushing. "N-no, of course not!"

"Oh, come on," said Momo, nudging her in the ribs with her elbow. "So you wouldn't mind if Ichigo got a girlfriend?"

"Of course not," said Rukia stubbornly. Momo just kept smiling at her. "I…I…how did you know?" she asked, resigned to defeat.

"The boys may be oblivious," said Momo, "but I know, and I think Isane and Kiyone know. To us girls, it was pretty obvious."

"Oh well," sighed Rukia. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"Of course not!" said Momo earnestly. "But when are you going to tell him?"

"Never," replied Rukia. "We've been best friends since second grade. Our friendship is too valuable."

"Oh," said Momo understandingly. But she thought to herself that with a little bit of help from Isane and Kiyone and maybe one of the other guys, she might be able to get those two together—after finding out if Ichigo felt the same, of course.

They turned into their classroom, where Kyouraku seemed to be sleeping with his hat pulled over his eyes. "Well class," said Nanao, "since Kyouraku-san seems to be taking an afternoon nap, it looks like I'm in charge." Half of the class let out little groans. "Since you're in eleventh grade, you are now going to be studying the history of western culture starting in the year 1300." More groans. "Kyouraku-san and I came up with a semester-long partner project together to help you through this." More groans, then heads turning as friends met each other's eyes. "Like I said, it is a partner project, but…the partners have already been chosen by Kyouraku-san and me." Now the friends were staring open-mouthed at each other.

Nanao opened her notebook and said, "The first pair is…Matsumoto Rangiku and Ichimaru Gin." The pair smiled at each other. "Sado Yasutora and Kotetsu Isane." More happiness. "Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia." Ichigo gave Rukia one of his seemingly-rare smiles, and Rukia looked like she was about to faint from happiness.

Nanao continued on, and Momo found her heart rate picking up as neither her nor Toushirou's name was called. As long as she didn't end up with Toushirou, she would be fine. But, as her luck would have it, the last pair called was…"and last but not least, Hinamori Momo and Hitsugaya Toushirou."

Momo silently cursed her luck while Toushirou glared daggers at her with those cold eyes like it was her fault.

**A/N: So, what did you think? I know Hinamori may have seemed OOC for most of the chapter, but that's just because she's new and let's face it, who isn't even a little shy when facing a new school? But don't worry, by the next chapter or two she'll be back to her good old self!**

**And just to let you know, I'm not sure yet whether the rest of the chapters are going to be this long. I usually only type about 2,000 per chapter, but I kind of got carried away with this one. But I don't know, I kind of like this length. Oh well, I guess we'll see what happens.**

**Please Review, it really means a lot to me!**


	2. Discord

**A/N: Just to let you all know, I usually post one chapter every three or four days. So constantly be on the lookout for them!**

**And to post every three or four days, I'm going to have to stick with my usually of about 2,000 words a chapter. But hey, you're still getting more words per week than with most stories, right?**

**But enough of that—on with the story!**

**Chapter 2 – Discord**

_But, as her luck would have it, the last pair called was…"and last but not least, Hinamori Momo and Hitsugaya Toushirou."_

_Momo silently cursed her luck while Toushirou glared daggers at her with those cold eyes like it was her fault._

Momo stared straight ahead, not wanting to meet Toushirou's intimidating eyes. Ichigo gave a half-glance back at her that showed concern, and Rukia did the same from his right.

Momo couldn't believe how rotten her luck was. She was very intelligent and hard-working, therefore earning good marks in class, which definitely helped her on the road to a prestigious university. But now, based on her previous interactions with Toushirou combined with the fact that she was going to have to work with him on this project, Momo didn't feel so good about how her grades for this year were going to turn out.

Momo focused on Nanao as she spoke again. "Now please exchange phone numbers or e-mail addresses with your partners and please also discuss what days of the week you generally have free." Nanao then glanced at Kyouraku. "Unfortunately, Kyouraku-san has nothing else in his plans for you today, so once you've done that, you can have free time until the end of school."

The shuffling of chairs preceded the sound of voices, and Momo half-turned towards Toushirou, quickly refocusing on the notebook in front of her when she heard him huff in disgust. Momo sat there, unsure of what she should do. She knew that she and Toushirou would have to work together at least a bit for them to earn a passing grade on the project, but right now that seemed to be unlikely.

Then a small scrap of paper landed on Momo's desk. She picked it up curiously. It contained a phone number—(844)878-4191—and an e-mail address—. At the bottom was his schedule: Only open on Sundays. His handwriting was very neat.

Momo was shocked. Apparently Toushirou was also worried about his grade considering the fact that he had just given her his contact information. Momo quickly scribbled hers down (neatly, of course) in response and quietly thanked him as she put her paper on his desk in return.

"Why are you thanking me?" asked Toushirou icily, eyes glued on the book he had been reading—the same one as earlier. "The only reason I gave you that information is because it is absolutely necessary. I wouldn't have given it to you, let alone talked to you, if it weren't for this stupid project. So go save your worthless gratitude for someone who cares."

Toushirou's words were like a slap to the face to Momo, who turned away from her white-haired classmate to hide the tears collecting in her eyes. What had she done to make him hate her so much?

"Hey," said a gentle voice right in her ear. Momo recognized it as Rukia's. "Don't let him get to you. It's worthless to get all worked up over someone who treats you like that."

"Yeah," said Renji much louder than Rukia. "Just because Toushirou has no friends and nobody likes him doesn't mean that he has to take his frustrations out on you, the only person his age he'll ever talk to, and only because he has to."

The people close enough to Renji to hear what he said over the din of the class laughed, and Momo heard whispers of, "Weirdo," and "Little freak." Momo glanced over at Toushirou to see how this all affected him, but he seemed to be unaffected like usual. But then Momo noticed that Toushirou's hands were just barely shaking and his ears seemed a little pink.

And in that moment, no matter how much Toushirou had managed to make Momo feel bad on her first day at Karakura High, she felt pity for him. Momo knew how it felt to be treated like that—she was frequently on the receiving end of such taunts at the orphanage and was subject to worse by _him_. No matter how Toushirou behaved, he didn't deserve to be treated in such a way by his peers.

Momo jumped to her feet. "Renji, how could you be so rude?" she half-shouted, drawing more attention from the class. "And the rest of you, you know who you are, you should be ashamed of yourselves, calling him names like a bunch of six-year-olds! Is that how you treat people? That's disgusting!"

Momo finished, chest-heaving, surprised at herself for actually having the courage to scold her peers, and looked at Renji, who had the decency to look ashamed. Then she looked at Toushirou, who was actually looking at her instead of his book. For a split-second, Momo saw just the smallest hints gratitude and vulnerability. Then his icy demeanor slammed back up and he said, "Shut up. I don't need your help, you stupid girl. I don't care what they call me. So go get a life and stop worrying about mine."

Momo sat back heavily in her chair and instantly felt her eyes well up with tears again. She looked down at her notebook to try to hide the fact that she was silently crying from her classmates, watching the cover darken in small spots as her tears spilled over and dripped off her cheeks. She felt Rukia rubbing her back and she yelled at Toushirou, "You're even worse than they are! You actually had someone here who stuck up for you despite what you had already done to her today, and this is what you do? Why don't you try growing up!"

Momo heard Toushirou respond with his usual iciness. "I don't remember this concerning you. So why don't you mind your own business?"

"You made this my business when you insulted my friend!" Rukia exclaimed.

Momo's tears stopped at the sound of Rukia calling her her friend, and Momo smiled up at her in thanks.

The bell rang at that moment and Toushirou quickly left, snatching up the paper Momo had put on his desk.

Rukia and Ichigo stayed in the classroom as the rest of the class filed out, leaving the three of them in the classroom with Nanao, who was trying in vain to wake up Kyouraku.

"You alright, Hinamori-chan?" asked Rukia.

"Yeah," said Momo a bit sullenly. "Thanks for sticking up for me."

"No problem," said Rukia with a smile on her face. "After all, that's what friends are for, right?"

Momo gave Rukia a genuine smile. "Yep!"

"Hey," said Ichigo. "You live right by us, Hinamori-chan, we saw you moving in a while ago. Do you want to walk home with us?"

"That'd be great!" Momo said with glee.

So Momo, problems with Toushirou set aside, walked home with her two new friends.

-VG-

The rest of the week passed quickly, if uneventfully. Momo truly felt that she had found the people she would be friends with in the group that she had eaten lunch with on her first day, and she quickly developed an even closer bond to Rukia.

Toushirou thankfully left Momo alone the whole time except for Friday, when he quickly said that they should meet at the park on Sunday at noon so they could get started in planning out their project before leaving too quickly for Momo to respond.

So at 11:55 on Sunday Momo found herself sitting on a bench by herself in the park, clutching her notebook. She was very nervous about being alone with Toushirou. She feared that the meeting wasn't going to end well.

Toushirou showed up at noon, also holding a notebook. He sat down as far away as possible from without saying hello and immediately said, "I have soccer everyday but on Sundays."

"Okay," replied Momo, unsure of how to respond.

"From now on we'll meet at my house. I have a good place for us to work in my garage," Toushirou said oddly cordially. Then he glanced at Momo and his angry attitude seemed to return. "Just make sure you pull your weight and we'll have no problems."

And Momo, who felt the injustice of being hated for no reason hit her full force, felt her temper flare in response. "I'm not stupid," she spat. "I've worked in a group before."

"Could've fooled me," replied Toushirou coolly.

"Which one of us finished the math assignment first on the first day of school, huh?" asked Momo angrily, not caring that she sounded childish.

"Which one of us doesn't know when to keep their stupid mouth shut?" retorted Toushirou.

Momo felt something inside of her snap. That was it—she couldn't take it anymore. "Why do you hate me so much?" she yelled in his face.

Toushirou actually flinched, obviously not expecting a girl who seemed so quiet and reserved to yell at him like that. He looked down, and Momo, still angry, asked, "What have I ever been but nice to you? I don't get it!"

Her adrenaline faded as Toushirou continued to look at his hands, and she sighed before relaxing back against the bench, not looking at her project partner.

They sat there in silence for over ten minutes until Momo sighed, finally admitting defeat. "Forget it. I don't care. Let's just focus on the project."

Toushirou was silent for a few seconds before quietly saying, "It's because you interest me."

That completely threw Momo off. "What?' she asked, perplexed.

Toushirou looked up at her, the icy wall no longer present. "I hate you so much because you interest me," he admitted.

"Why does that make you hate me?" asked Momo. "That doesn't make any sense to me."

Toushirou sighed. "All through school, I've been the odd one out," he said. "I never had a friend, I never played games with the rest of the kids, and I was never invited to a birthday party. And I didn't care. Everyone else my age was boring. They were all the same: stupid and immature. But when you showed up on the first day of school, I felt something weird. I felt curiosity. For some reason, I felt this pull from you, like a magnet. I really wanted to get to know you…and I guess…I guess it scared me," he admitted, looking up at her vulnerably after baring his feelings to someone his age for the first time.

Momo blinked and stared at him, trying to digest this information. This was a truly bizarre situation. Then she smiled warmly at him and said, "Well, you definitely didn't go about the right way of getting to know me."

Now it was Toushirou's turn to blink in surprise, obviously not expecting such a positive reaction. Then he did something Momo had never seen him do before. He smiled, just a slight curve of his lips. "You're right. I was acting like an idiot." Then his smile faded. "Hinamori-san, I…I'm sorry for treating you how I did. It was unacceptable."

"It's all right…Shirou-chan," she said with a smile. "I forgive you. Friends?"

"It's not Shirou-chan…" he replied indignantly, "…it's Toushirou-kun."

Momo laughed. It felt good knowing that she wasn't hated for no reason any longer.

The rest of the session passed quite nicely. Once Toushirou let his guard down, he was a pretty fun and interesting guy.

After they had sorted out all the details concerning the project, they both stood up, Momo stretching her arms above her head. Her long sleeves slid up to her elbows, baring her arms.

Gasping, she quickly pulled the sleeves back down, but not before Toushirou caught a glance of them. "What happened to your arms?" he asked. "Those are some nasty bruises."

"Oh, those?" asked Momo, willing her knees to stop trembling. "They're nothing. I-I fell off my bike." Toushirou narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her, and she said, "See ya, Shirou-chan!" before quickly walking away from him.

"It's Toushirou-kun!" she heard him call.

_Whew, that was close,_ she thought to herself as she continued walking home.

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed and weird, but I was half-asleep when I wrote it and didn't proofread it.**

**I really couldn't have Hinamori and Hitsugaya on bad terms any longer, I'm much better at writing fluff (which still actually won't appear for quite a few chapters). Believe me, this story has quite a while to go.**

**And did anyone notice that I made Toushirou's phone number (thi)tsu-gaya? (Be honest, please! (: ).**

**Please Review! The more I get, the more excited I become about writing the next chapter, which could mean that I put it out earlier than normal!**


	3. Chipping Away to the Beautiful Heart

**A/N: Here's the next installment of Veritas et Gaudium!**

**Please Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3 - Chipping Away to the Beautiful Heart**

When Momo woke up the next morning she was the happiest she had been about going to school since the first day. She quickly showered and got dressed in her school uniform before running downstairs and grabbing breakfast and the lunch she had packed the night before. She locked the front door behind her and turned around, only to find Toushirou sitting behind the wheel of an Audi pulled up to the curb in front of her house.

"Er…" he said. "Do-do you want a ride?"

Momo smiled at him and said, "Sure, Shirou-chan!"

"It's Toushirou-kun," said Toushirou with a small smile on his face while shaking his head. "How many times am I going to have to tell you that?"

"Thanks," said Momo as she got in his car, totally ignoring his question.

"No problem," said Toushirou. "Your house is on my way to school anyway."

"How did you know where I live?" asked Momo.

"I drove past when you were going inside after the first day of school," explained Toushirou as he started driving towards Karakura High, his face a bit pink. "I took a guess that it was yours and I was right."

"Were you waiting long?" asked Momo.

"It was only about fifteen minutes," said Toushirou. "Not too bad."

"Oh," said Momo. "Well, I'll come out earlier tomorrow, okay?" Toushirou nodded as he made a left turn, and Momo said, "It's cool that you can drive. Is this car yours?"

"Despite being the shortest in the class, I'm actually the oldest. I turned sixteen in the middle of tenth grade. My parents bought me this car as a birthday present and I got my license a week later," said Toushirou.

"That's so cool!" said Momo as they pulled up to the school.

"I guess," said Toushirou. "Except for the fact that my parents are rich just makes people hate me more."

"Oh," said Momo, not knowing what else to say. Toushirou parked the car, and Momo opened her door and looked at Toushirou, who wasn't moving from behind the wheel.

"Are you coming, Shi…Toushirou?" asked Momo, catching herself.

"At least it's better than Shirou-chan," said Toushirou to himself. Then he sighed. "No. I think I'll hang in here for a bit. You go on ahead," he said a bit morosely.

"O-okay," said Momo, looking at him with concern. "A-are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," said Toushirou, meeting her eyes challengingly.

Momo scowled at him, scrutinizing his face. She sighed, got out of the car, headed over to Toushirou's side, and dragged him out. "Honestly!" huffed Momo. "You think I care if people know I'm your friend?"

"Yeah, I do," said Toushirou nonchalantly. "Trust me, you'll have a lot more friends if you just ignore me during school."

"Do you want to know what I think of that?" asked Momo.

"What?" said Toushirou.

"I think…" she quickly grabbed Toushirou's bag and started running towards the school, calling over her shoulder, "…you'll have to catch me if you want your bag!"

She heard Toushirou curse from behind her before his footsteps started chasing her. She ran through the halls of the school, weaving through the students, hearing Toushirou catching up to her.

She made it up all the way to classroom 3-1 and had just barged in when Toushirou tackled her, spinning so that he landed on the floor instead of her. They landed with their faces inches apart and once they realized the position they were in, they both blushed and looked away from each other.

A pair of arms suddenly picked Momo up, making her yelp in surprise. It was Rukia, and she cried, "Hinamori-chan, are you alright?"

But Momo wasn't paying attention to her. Ichigo had picked up Toushirou with one hand by the front of his shirt and had a fist cocked back. "We've had enough of you being mean to Hinamori-chan! Why the hell did you tackle her?"

"Ichigo!" Momo cried. "Stop it!"

Ichigo did a double-take in her direction. "What? He tackled you!"

"Toushirou tackled me because I took his bag," she said, holding up said bag.

Ichigo reluctantly let go of Toushirou, sighed, then did another double-take in Momo's direction. "Did you just call him Toushirou?" he asked incredulously.

"Yep!" said Momo cheerfully. "We resolved our problems during our study session!"

"Arigatou, Hinamori-chan," said Toushirou as he took his bag back.

"Wait a second," said Ichigo disbelievingly, his mouth hanging open. "You-you're friends with Toushirou, then?"

"No," said Momo. "He still hates me but lets me call him Toushirou."

"Eh?" said Ichigo, not catching onto her sarcasm.

"Of course he's my friend, baka!" said Momo.

"What?" said Renji, walking into the classroom. "Who're you friends with, Hinamori-chan?"

"Toushirou," said Momo.

"What!" exclaimed Renji. "Toushirou has a friend?"

"It's Hitsugaya-san to you, bonehead," said Toushirou.

As more people entered the classroom, they received similar reactions to the fact that Toushirou now had a friend.

When Rangiku sat next to Momo, she called across to Toushirou, "Hey, Toushirou! How much did you have to pay Hinamori-chan to pretend to be your friend?"

Toushirou didn't pay any attention to her like usual, but Momo wouldn't stand for it. "How dare you?" she cried. "Toushirou is a good person! Much better than you, I'll add! I would pay him to be _my_ friend."

Someone started the 'loser cough' and a couple of the more popular kids like Ikkaku and Yumichika did the same. Rangiku just smirked at her and said, "Looks like someone just lost their invitation to hang with the popular crowd."

"Like I care," said Momo.

"Quiet down, quiet down," called Kyouraku as he sat down in his chair. "Alright class, today…"

After the first day of class, they only received free time for about half an hour at the end of the school day. Thus, the class worked all the way through to the break.

As Momo filed out of the classroom with the others a fellow student jarred her particularly hard, sending her sprawling to the floor. She looked up to see Ichimaru with his usual grin on his face. Toushirou helped Momo up, saying, "I told you that would happen."

"Who cares?" asked Momo, laughing. "They're jerks anyway."

"Yeah but what are you going to do when Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, and Chad don't want to hang out with you anymore?" asked Toushirou. "Please, I won't feel bad if you want to pretend to hate me during class. Just do it, and we can hang out on the weekends or something."

"Nonsense!" said Momo, smiling brightly. "They're all good people. A few apologies here and there and I'm sure you'll all get along!"

Toushirou just looked at her skeptically as the bell signifying five minutes until class resumed rang. They headed back and sat in their seats, Toushirou glancing at Momo every now and then throughout PE, where they ran the mile. When it was time for lunch, Momo asked Toushirou, "Do you want to eat with us?"

"No," said Toushirou simply and decisively before walking off.

Momo's smile died a little. "O-okay," she said even though he couldn't hear her.

She walked beside Rukia as she talked with Ichigo, deep in thought. The normal group that she ate with all sat down and they ate lunch and chatted as usual. Momo looked over her shoulder at Toushirou, who was eating lunch alone like usual. "Excuse me guys, but I'm going to go eat with Toushirou."

All conversation stopped as Momo stood up and walked over to Toushirou, who looked at her questioningly as she sat down. "You looked kind of lonely," she said as way of explanation.

So the party of one became a party of two as they ate their lunches together, Momo oddly feeling more comfortable with him than with the other group. It now felt like there was something missing in the old group—it actually felt like something had been missing in her life. It was like Momo felt she was…home, which she had never felt before. In actuality, she was kind of freaked out by this revelation. She had only known him as a friend for one day and already felt more comfortable with him than she ever had with anyone else, even more than her friend Miyuki, whom she had been friends with for eight years.

Momo was surprised when Rukia sat beside her, saying, "Hello Hitsugaya-kun. I'm Kuchiki Rukia."

Toushirou looked over at Momo, who just smiled at him. "I know who you are. We've been going to school together for ten years."

"I know," said Rukia, shrugging. "I thought it would be nice to introduce myself to you formally." There was a small awkward silence. "So…" said Rukia, "do you know what university you want to go to?"

The awkwardness dissipated pretty quickly, and soon all three were talking merrily.

It seemed that Ichigo couldn't go long without Rukia (a development that Momo found most intriguing) for he was the next person to join the group, expanding it from three to four. As he sat down next to Rukia, he said, "Hey, Toushirou. I…" he took a deep breath and quickly said, "…I'm sorry for being mean to you all these years and I hope you will please forgive me. If Hinamori-chan says you're a good person then you must be."

Toushirou was silent for a few seconds, obviously shocked, and said. "You actually haven't really been mean to me except for threatening to beat me up this morning. You were more in the category that just ignored me. And…well…I'm sorry for being mean to you too," he said just as quickly as Ichigo, not looking at him.

Momo and Rukia shook their heads at each other, muttering "boys" in unison.

"Don't worry about it," said Ichigo. "All water under the bridge." He held out his hand. "So…friends?"

Toushirou studied his hand for a few seconds, then took it. "Sure."

By the end of lunch the whole group had reformed over by Toushirou, and Momo could tell that he was flabbergasted.

As they were walking back to class, Momo said smugly to Toushirou, "I told you that would happen."

"Momo," he said, looking her in the eye. _Did he…just call me Momo?_

"Yes?" she asked him.

He put a hand on the back of his neck and sighed. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," she said, giving him another smile.

As they sat down, Toushirou asked her, "Do you want a ride home?"

"Only if you want to give me one," she said.

Toushirou smiled at her, and it was more than just a curling of the corners of his mouth. And for some reason, Momo felt her face grow hot. "Of course I do."

Toushirou turned to look at Kyouraku, and Momo still felt weird. When she looked ahead at the board she saw Rukia grinning at her out of the corner of her eyes.

When it was free time, Rukia immediately dragged her off to a secluded corner. "What's this?" she asked, a hint of humor in her voice. "It looks like little miss Momo has bitten by the same bug as me."

"What are you talking about?" Momo asked, confused.

"Why, your crush on Toushirou, of course," said Rukia.

Momo laughed at Rukia. "What are you talking about? I don't have a crush on Toushirou."

"Oh, really?" asked Rukia. "Look me straight in the eye and tell me that."

"I. Don't. Have. A. Crush. On. Toushirou," she said slowly.

Rukia looked at her, confused. "Your body has a crush on Toushirou but your mind hasn't realized it yet? How odd."

"What?" asked Momo.

"You were very clearly blushing when Toushirou was smiling at you," Rukia explained.

"You're crazy," said Momo. "I mean, yeah, he's cute, but…"

"But what?" asked Rukia.

"But…but…" she said as Rukia grinned at her. Then it hit her full force, especially the feeling of comfortableness she got around the white-haired boy. "Oh my God, I have a crush on Toushirou! How's that even possible? I've only really known him for one day!"

"Love works in mysterious ways," replied Rukia wisely before heading back toward Ichigo.

"Wait, what?" she asked even though Rukia wasn't there anymore. "Nobody said anything about love!"

The bell rang and Toushirou brought Momo's bag to her, asking, "What were you and Kuchiki talking about?"

Momo glanced at Toushirou to confirm her conversation with Rukia and felt her face get hot again when she realized that it was all really true—she really had a crush on him. "Oh, nothing. Just…girl stuff," she said.

They chatted in the car on the way to Momo's house, where he dropped her off. She felt her stomach tense up as she watched his car drive out of sight. Her least favorite part of the day was ten times worse now that she had to say goodbye to Toushirou at the same time.

She stepped inside and a cold voice asked, "Who was that boy?"

Momo swallowed hard, not looking at the owner of the voice. "His name is Hitsugaya Toushirou…Aizen-sama."

**A/N: I know that was kind of expected, but…meh, I have something fun planned.**

**If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave me a review! And if you didn't like it…well, please tell me why (and please try to do so without flaming! Constructive criticism is fine though!).**


	4. Make the Pain Go Away

**A/N: Well, here it is! Warning: This chapter contains a bit of abuse.**

**Please Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4 – Make the Pain Go Away**

"_His name is Hitsugaya Toushirou…Aizen-sama."_

"Hitsugaya Toushirou…" said Aizen thoughtfully. "And you got a ride from this boy?"

Momo squeezed her eyes shut, knowing what was coming next. "Yes," she managed to force out, "Aizen-sama."

"Look at me," said Aizen, and Momo did as she was told. "I thought I told you not to get too close to anybody at school."

Momo tried not to hyperventilate. "You did, Aizen-sama."

Her breath was knocked out of her as Aizen's fist slammed into her stomach, making her drop to her knees in pain. Aizen hauled her up by her arm, squeezing it as hard as he could. "So why didn't you listen to me?"

"I'm sorry, Aizen-sama!" Momo cried. "I didn't mean for it to happen!"

"I see how it is," said Aizen. "I so generously adopt you, clothe you, feed you, and this is how you treat me? You're worthless!" he shouted before pushing her with all his strength.

Momo stuck her hand out to cushion the blow against the wall that was right behind her, but all she ended up doing was getting her hand caught between her and the wall at a weird angle. She felt her left pinky and ring finger break before her skull smashed into the wall, making her vision flicker and sending her back on the floor. She felt like vomiting and didn't know which way was up, so she stayed still, hoping the barrage was over.

"Go to your room," said Aizen. "I don't want to see your face again for the rest of the night."

"Y-yes, Aizen-sama," said Momo as she pathetically crawled in the direction she hoped was toward the stairs.

And despite her throbbing hand and head, she could only desperately think that it would be another long night without dinner. She dropped her bag in the hall upstairs before going into her bathroom, where she finally allowed herself to silently cry. She hurriedly opened the lid of the toilet and heaved the contents of her lunch into it, seeing a bit of blood in the vomit through her blurry vision.

She wiped her mouth and flushed the toilet before standing up. With tears running down her face, she fought the urge to scream in pain as she wrapped the last three fingers on her left hand with medical tape. She would feign injury in PE tomorrow and go to Nurse Unohana to get better treatment.

But she was done with the bathroom for now, so she hurriedly picked up her bag and scampered across the hall to her room, where she dropped her bag and collapsed on her bed. She couldn't hold her sobs back any longer, so she buried her face in her pillow and cried her heart out into it.

Aizen was nice at first, pretending to be infatuated by her at the orphanage. He adopted her and brought her to his home where, for the first time, Momo had her own room. For the first month he was nice and loving, buying her clothes and taking her places. Then his true nature showed itself. He demanded that she do all the chores, which Momo didn't find too odd. But what she did find odd is that he would punch or slap her if she didn't finish the chores quickly enough. Soon enough, Momo found herself being beaten for the tiniest things. If school wasn't in the equation she would've wished that she was still in the orphanage.

But she didn't know what she would do if she didn't see Rukia, or Ichigo, or Renji again. But mostly she would miss Toushirou.

Momo allowed herself to smile through her tears. She could get through this as long as she could see Toushirou every school day.

But a small whimper escaped her lips as a thought dawned on her. She wouldn't be able to talk to Toushirou again, except to maybe work on the project. As much as she loved Toushirou's company, she had to do all she could to avoid the beatings. And the fact that she was really hungry and wouldn't be receiving dinner.

She thought of Toushirou the rest of the night, only falling asleep after she had finished crying.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Momo woke to a throbbing head and throbbing fingers. She felt horrible, but she didn't want to stay in the house with Aizen the whole day, so she dragged herself out of bed and carefully changed her clothes using her right hand only.<p>

She completely forgot about Toushirou picking her up and only remembered when she saw his car parked in front of her house as she was leaving. She reluctantly ducked her head and walked right past his car, not slowing down when he honked. He drove alongside her and called out of his rolled-down window, "Momo! Hello?" He honked again and Momo felt a couple tears roll down her cheeks. "Fine," said Toushirou before speeding up and driving off.

Momo, watching Toushirou's car, accidently walked into Ichigo, almost falling down in the process. "Oops, sorry," she said, surreptitiously wiping her tears away.

"It's alright," he said. "Are you alright, Hinamori-chan?"

But Momo was already ten feet ahead of them and pulling even farther away. She heard Rukia jogging to catch up to her. "Momo, what's the matter?"

"Nothing," replied Momo harshly, whipping around to face Rukia. "You're always so annoying, acting like you're my best friend even though we've barely known each other. Can't you tell that I don't want to talk to you?"

Rukia stopped in her tracks and Momo trudged on, holding back her tears again. The look of pain on Rukia's and Toushirou's faces wrenched her heart, but this was necessary. If she got too close to them she might not be able to come back to school at all.

Rukia must've told Ichigo what happened, for his footsteps jogged up to her next. "What the hell's the matter with you, Hinamori-chan? She was just trying to help!"

Momo ignored him, but he grabbed her arm and spun her around. "You're her friend and you hurt her. Apologize," Ichigo demanded.

"Get off me," Momo said before pushing Ichigo with both hands, which was a mistake.

"Hinamori-chan…what happened to your hand?" Ichigo asked.

Momo looked him in the eye defiantly and said, "None of your business."

Ichigo didn't back down and now Rukia was with him, and Momo felt her lower lip tremble as she met her friends' eyes. She quickly hid her face and continued walking towards school. This time no footsteps tried to catch up with her.

She sat down in her seat without talking to anyone, and Toushirou said, "Why were you ignoring me this morning, Momo? Did I do something wrong?"

Momo continued to ignore him, pulling out her stuff for the day. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Toushirou catch a glimpse of her wrapped fingers. Then he glanced at her covered arms. Then back at her fingers. Momo started trembling.

Thankfully, the bell rang at that moment and class started, sparing Momo from Toushirou's questions. She successfully ignored everyone throughout lunch but was unsuccessful in pulling off her fake injury in PE. One, because Rukia, Ichigo, and Toushirou already knew about her fingers and two, because it was raining outside, which meant they didn't have PE.

All the kids stayed inside the classroom during lunch. Momo ate at her desk as the group formed a circle in one of the corners, Toushirou included. She got a pretty good idea of what they were talking about, because they kept glancing at her with mixed expressions on their faces. She ate her lunch alone in misery as she watched the rest of the students happily talking with their friends. It seemed weird that everyone else could be so happy when she felt so much pain and sadness inside.

During free time she read a book as the group huddled around a desk, seeming to be planning something. When school was over she waited for the rest of the students to clear out before standing up and slowly leaving the school, slowly walking back to Hell.

She had only made it a few feet out of the school, though, when four hands grabbed her and dragged her into an alley. She tried to scream but a hand covered her mouth. She was pushed all the way to the end of the alley, not able to see anyone else until the hands turned her around.

And there stood Rukia, Ichigo, Chad, and Toushirou. "Let me go!" she demanded. Ichigo and Chad were still holding her arms.

"No," said Toushirou. "Not until you tell us why you're acting so weird and the _real_ reason why your fingers are broken and your arms are bruised."

"I'm clumsy," lied Momo. "I slammed my fingers in my door yesterday by accident. The bruises are from when I fell down the stairs a couple weeks ago."

"That's funny," said Toushirou, no hint of humor in his voice. "On Sunday you told me you got the bruises from falling off your bike."

_That's right!_ Momo scolded herself, _how could I be so stupid?_ "And what lie do you have for your weird behavior?" Toushirou asked.

Momo kept her mouth closed, staring him in the eye as defiantly as she could. Rukia put an arm on her shoulder and the boys let go of her arms, making sure that she still had no way out. "Momo," said Rukia. "Why won't you let us help you? Isn't that what friends are for?"

"I…I…" Momo said, meeting all of their eyes. Her eyes slowly filled up with tears as she tried in vain to come up with an answer. She hugged Rukia and finally started sobbing, burying her face in the other girl's shoulder.

Rukia rubbed her back, saying, "It's alright," and, "let it out," repeatedly.

When Momo could form coherent words again through her sobs, she said, "H-he t-t-told me n-not to get c-close to anyone!"

"He?" asked Ichigo.

"A-Aizen-sama! M-my adoptive f-father," explained Momo.

"I'm guessing he's the one who gave you the bruises on your arms and broke your fingers," said Toushirou angrily.

Momo nodded into Rukia's shoulder. She heard running footsteps and when she looked up, the three boys were already in Toushirou's car. They peeled out of there and Momo asked, "Where are they going?"

"We told you we would help you," said Rukia, avoiding the question. "Now, sit down."

They sat in the alley together, waiting for the boys to get back. They talked for a while, but the day had taken its toll on Momo and she found herself nodding off on Rukia's shoulder.

* * *

><p>When Momo woke up she found herself in a bed in a room that had two other beds. And she was definitely not in her room at Aizen's or the orphanage. "Wh-where am I?" she asked herself.<p>

"Hello, Hinamori-san," said a young girl with brown hair who was standing in the doorway.

"Oh, h-hello," Momo said in return. "Who are you?"

"Kurosaki Yuzu, reporting for duty!" said the young girl, saluting Momo. "You're in our room."

"Wh-what?" asked Momo. Her head hurt and she was so confused. What was going on? All she knew was that this girl must be related to Ichigo.

Speaking of Ichigo, he appeared right at that moment. "Hey, Yuzu. Can you give us a minute?"

"Sure thing, Onii-chan!" Yuzu said before leaving the room. "Dinner will be ready in ten minutes!" she called over her shoulder.

"Kurosaki-kun? What happened?" asked Momo.

"You're at my house," said Ichigo as if it explained everything.

"Um…okay?" said Momo.

"We went and beat the crap out of Aizen before turning him in to the cops," said Ichigo. "My dad runs a clinic, so we brought you here so he could properly treat your fingers. I told him what happened and he said that he would take you in," Ichigo said as if an occurrence like this happened every day.

"That's right!" exclaimed a man from behind Ichigo whom Momo guessed was Ichigo's father. "How can we deny helping you when you've had such a rough childhood?" He cried, weeping into his arm.

"Oh, no," said Momo. "You don't have to do this. It's fine, really. I shouldn't impose!"

"Nonsense!" cried the man. "Yuzu and Karin already divided up their closet so your clothes could fit and we've already sorted it out with the police!"

"Really?" asked Momo. She really didn't want to be a burden, but it seemed that they were absolutely certain about taking her in. Momo would just have to make sure that she pulled her own weight. "In that case, I guess…"

"Oh yeah!" yelled the man. "A new addition to the family! Just wait until I tell Masaki!" he exclaimed before bounding out of the room.

Both Ichigo and Momo stared at the doorway until Ichigo sighed. "Just to let you know, he always acts like that."

"Um…Kurosaki-kun, I thought your mom…?" Momo trailed off, realizing she was being insensitive.

"He has a poster of her downstairs," Ichigo explained. "Come on, dinner's ready."

Ichigo turned around to go downstairs. Before he left, Momo said, "Kurosaki-kun, wait." The orange-haired teen turned back around. "Thank you."

"No problem," said Ichigo, shrugging a bit uncomfortably. "Now hurry up or Yuzu will scold you for being late."

The two went downstairs together, Momo feeling a little excited and a little apprehensive.

It was about time she finally figured out what a normal family (in the most liberal sense) was like.

**A/N: Well, there you have it. Now that Aizen's out of the picture, we can focus on the romance! Yay!**

**Please Review!**


	5. A Semblance of Normalcy

**A/N: I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for their awesome reviews! They are the fuel that feeds my writing fire!**

**And I know it seems a bit rushed, but that's because I'm doing it on purpose. I have plans for a much longer fic after this one is finished! Yay!**

**Please Enjoy!**

**Chapter 5 – A Semblance of Normalcy**

Momo went downstairs with Ichigo, a bit of nerves messing with her stomach. When she got downstairs Yuzu, Ichigo's dad, and another girl about the same age as Yuzu were all siting at the table. On the table was a delicious-looking casserole.

As Ichigo sat down and Momo did the same, Ichigo said, "You already met Yuzu and my dad, Isshin. That's Yuzu's twin sister, Karin."

"Nice to meet you all," said Momo respectfully. "And thank you so much."

"Our dad wouldn't be our dad if he had done otherwise," said Karin.

"I try my best to help everyone that I can!" said Isshin proudly.

"Well, thank you so much, Kurosaki-san," said Momo again, unable to find the words necessary to convey the sense of gratitude she was feeling.

"Please don't be so formal with me," said Isshin. "You can call me Isshin or, if you really want to, dad."

"Cut it out, dad," said Karin lazily yet sternly. "You're gonna creep her out, you weirdo."

"Oh, I'm only trying to make her feel comfortable!" he said, melodramatic tears pouring down his face.

"Yeah, yeah," said Karin.

Dinner went pretty smoothly after that, and just as with her friends at school, Momo found that she really liked the family. Yuzu, with her motherly attitude yet young and innocent, dearly missed her favorite stuffed animal, Bostov. Karin, who didn't put up with any of her dad's nonsense, loved to play soccer. And Isshin, the epitome of silliness, dearly loved all three of his children, he just had a…different way…of showing that to Ichigo.

In bed that night, Momo couldn't help but feel that soon she would really be part of a proper family. It amazed her that there could be this much love and caring in a single household, she never would've guessed it so. She almost began crying out of mixed happiness and sadness. She was happy that she was finally part of a loving household, yet very sad that she had not grown up in one.

* * *

><p>The next morning, the house was a flurry of activity as the four kids got ready for school at the same time. They all said goodbye to each other and Yuzu and Karin left first while Ichigo and Momo left a few minutes later. When they got outside, it was to find Rukia waiting at the door and Toushirou's car parked on the curb.<p>

"Kurosaki, Kuchiki, you two want a ride to school?" he asked.

Rukia looked up at Ichigo, who took a second before saying, "Nah. I think I'll pass."

"I'm fine, too. Thank you for the offer though," she said immediately after Ichigo made his decision.

Momo couldn't help but smile. Rukia was so cute when it came to Ichigo. She was also secretly glad that Rukia and Ichigo said no. She really enjoyed having Toushirou all to herself, even if it was only for a few minutes each day.

"See you guys at school!" said Momo, running to the passenger's side of the car and getting in.

"Hey, Momo," said Toushirou. "How are you feeling?"

"Great!" she said. "Kurosaki-kun's family is so nice!"

"I'm glad to hear it," Toushirou replied. "I would've offered for you to stay at my place, but I don't think my parents would've gone for it."

Momo blushed at the thought of living in the same house as Toushirou. For some reason it felt as though it'd be much more intimate than staying with Ichigo.

"Thank you, Toushirou," said Momo.

"For what?" he asked. "I just said you wouldn't be able to stay with me."

"That's not what I meant," Momo replied. "I meant…for standing up to Aizen-sama for me."

"You can stop calling him Aizen-sama," said Toushirou. "I don't think he can hear you now."

"Right," said Momo.

"I was just doing what friends are meant to," continued Toushirou. "They stick together and stick up for each other, right?"

"Still," she said. "It means a lot to me."

She saw Toushirou's cheeks go a bit pink as he grumbled, "No problem."

They arrived at school and went into their classroom, surprised to find their group of friends already there and huddled in a circle. Curious, Momo and Toushirou joined them, only to find that they couldn't keep up with the conversation having joined in the middle of it.

"No, I don't think he will," Kiyone said sadly. "I don't think he's smart enough."

"Seriously?" asked Renji. "I mean, I know he's an idiot, but really? How could he not?"

"I don't think he knows she likes him," said Isane sadly.

"Damn fool's liked her since the fourth grade," replied Renji. "I don't think he'd pass up this type of opportunity. It's one of the last ones we'll have in High School, and he's getting all antsy. He wants to do it, I know he does, but he thinks she'll end up hating him if it doesn't work out."

"Excuse me, guys," said Momo. "But what are you talking about?"

"Whether Ichigo will pull his head out of his ass and ask Rukia to the Winter Dance," said Renji.

"Winter Dance?" asked Toushirou. "Again? What's the point?"

"The point is to get out there and socialize and have fun!" said Keigo. "And to eye all the beauties in their lovely dresses!"

"Keigo," said Mizuiro, "you really need to lay off the sugar when you have breakfast in the morning."

Momo didn't hear anything past the words 'Winter Dance'. She had never been to one before and found the prospect exciting. She could see herself walking in wearing a beautiful dress, Toushirou next to her wearing a dashing suit.

"So, who are you going to ask, Hitsugaya-kun?" asked Renji. "Any ladies in your sights?"

"I'm not going to be asking anybody," said Toushirou with conviction. "Dances are lame."

And Momo's dream shattered. "Toushirou, how could you not go to the dance?"" she asked.

"I've never gone to one and I never will," he said.

"You can't say something's lame unless you've tried it before," said Isane.

The bell rang at that instant and the class sat in their seats. Momo decided she would change Toushirou's mind no matter what. The day passed pretty normally up until the end of the school day, when they had free time. A boy in the class who Momo recognized as Kira Izuru walked up to her, looking nervous. "Um…Hinamori-chan…I was wondering if…you'd…maybe like to go to the dance with me?"

Momo blinked in surprise. Somebody actually wanted to go to the dance with _her_? She looked over at Toushirou, who seemed to be watching the conversation in interest. But Momo saw thinly veiled anger. Why was Toushirou angry that she was being asked out? Or was he just mad about something else?

Unfortunately for Kira, Momo either wanted to go to the dance with Toushirou or go alone, which meant…"I'm very flattered, Izuru-kun," she said, "but I don't think I'll be going to the dance. Sorry."

Kira's face fell, but he quickly changed it back to a smile. "That's okay. If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me," he said before walking off.

"Why aren't you going?" asked Toushirou after a few seconds. "I thought you were appalled that I wasn't."

"Well," said Momo, "maybe I'm not going because I trust your judgment. If you say dances are lame, then they must be lame."

"I see," said Toushirou. "But I'm saying dances are lame because I'm anti-social. You don't seem to be that way, so I think you'll find them enjoyable."

Momo had to stop herself from sighing in frustration. _Do you really need to make this harder than it already is?_ "Point taken. But I still don't know if I'm going," she said a bit stubbornly.

"I don't care either way," Toushirou replied disinterestedly. "But whatever you choose to do, I hope you have fun."

"Me too," said Momo wistfully.

* * *

><p>After school had ended, Ichigo, Rukia, and Momo all headed home together. Toushirou had soccer practice so he couldn't give Momo a ride. "So, Hinamori-chan…" said Ichigo.<p>

"Yes?" asked Hinamori.

"You and Toushirou going to the dance together?" he asked, failing to hide a smirk.

Momo blushed. "Did Rukia tell you?" she asked, glaring at her best female friend. "I told her not tell anyone!"

"Did Rukia tell me what?" Ichigo asked.

"That I have a crush on Toushirou," said Momo.

"No," said Ichigo, laughing. "I was actually just joking about you and Toushirou. You really like him?"

Momo's face flushed a deeper red. "Yeah, so?"

"Oh, nothing," said Ichigo. "I was just a bit surprised."

"So are you two going together?" asked Rukia.

"No," said Momo morosely. "He thinks dances are lame."

"Then ask him if he wants to do something he doesn't think is lame," said Rukia. "Just the two of you."

"I've never asked a boy out before," said Momo. "I don't know if I'd be able to."

"It's not that hard," said Rukia. "All you have to do is go out and do it without thinking about it. If you get rejected, it just wasn't meant to be."

"So you've asked out the boy you like?" asked Momo smugly, knowing she was delivering a low blow.

Rukia's cheeks colored. "Well, no, but…I think that's how it would be?"

"You like someone, Rukia?" asked Ichigo. Momo could tell he was having difficulty trying to ask it off-handed.

Rukia blushed even harder. "Maybe," she mumbled.

"Who is it?" Ichigo asked.

"None of your business," said Rukia.

Ichigo took a deep breath and let it out. "Fine. Whatever." They arrived in front of Rukia's house.

"See ya, Rukia," said Ichigo.

"Bye, Rukia!" said Momo.

"See you guys tomorrow," said Rukia before heading into her house.

Momo and Ichigo continued on in silence. Momo knew Ichigo wasn't talking because he was trying to digest the information that Rukia liked somebody.

Finally, after ten minutes of walking in silence, Ichigo said, "Is it true? Does Rukia really like somebody?"

"I don't know," said Momo, trying to hide her grin. "I think she might be in love."

"Can _you _tell me who it is?" Ichigo asked.

"Why do you want to know?" asked Momo. "I can't just give it to you without good reason."

Ichigo clammed back up, looking down at his feet. A few minutes later, he softly mumbled, "Because I like her."

"That's fabulous!" said Momo joyously. "Promise me something, Ichigo."

"Promise you what?" he asked.

"Promise me that you won't tell Rukia what I'm going to tell you know," said Momo.

"All right," said Ichigo. "This conversation never happened."

"That guy Rukia likes?" said Momo, drawing it out to agonize her orange-haired friend. "Well, it's you."

"W-what?" said Ichigo incredulously. "Me? She likes…me?"

"That's what I said," said Momo. "Except that I never really said it."

"Right," said Ichigo. "So…what do I do now?"

"You ask her to the dance," said Momo, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. _Boys_.

"Right," said Ichigo, nodding thoughtfully.

"How are you going to do it?" Momo asked.

"Um…do you want to go to the dance with me, Rukia?" said Ichigo as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Not a good idea," said Momo.

"What? What do you mean?" said Ichigo.

"You have to do it in a clever and original way," replied Momo. "That way you'll show that you care enough about her to put some thought into this."

"You're right," said Ichigo. He thought for a minute, then asked Momo, "Will you help me?"

Momo smiled at Ichigo. "Of course! There always needs to be brains if you want to make a plan."

"Hey!" replied Ichigo indignantly.

For the first time in his life, Momo felt like a normal High School student.

**A/N: There you have it. Please Review!**


	6. Leading Up to the Dance

**A/N: Sorry about the delay, but I was sick and thus in no mood or condition to write. I think that this story only has a few chapters left, then I'll go on to something a bit bigger and better (Okay, maybe more than a bit bigger and better…I'm just lazy-writing this. The other story will be **_**much **_**bigger and **_**much**_** better).**

**Please Enjoy!**

**Chapter 6 – Leading up to the Dance**

**December**

It was now only a week leading until the dance and Momo, Toushirou, Rukia, and Ichigo had all been asked to the Winter Dance several times (and they all said no, of course). Whenever the other wasn't looking, Toushirou would be looking wistfully at Momo, Momo would stare dreamily at Toushirou, Rukia would smile in Ichigo's direction, and Ichigo would sneak quick glances at Rukia

Toushirou's peers warmed up to him considerably after they learned that he wasn't really as cold as he seemed and Momo happily stood by his side. Their project was coming along great, and they had even worked on it at Toushirou's home, though she didn't get to meet his parents as they were out of town.

Momo and Ichigo had just finished putting the finishing touches on their plan to ask Rukia if she would go to the Winter Dance with her orange-haired crush, and they were actually just about to implement it. Rukia opened her locker as Momo stood next to her, making idle conversation.

"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Rukia, grabbing the flower taped to the inside of her locker.

Momo had to conceal her grin. "What is it?" she asked with curiosity.

"It's a flower!" she exclaimed, bringing the rose up to her nose to sniff it.

But she spotted something tucked into the petals. She grabbed the small piece of paper, squinted at it, and read, "Go…to…stairs…"

She just stood there blinking at the letter afterwards, so Momo grabbed her wrist and started dragging her toward the stairs. When they arrived, they found another rose taped to the underside of the hand railing. Rukia grabbed it again and read, "Go to roof."

So they hurried up to the roof, where there was a third rose on the fence. The note on it simply read 'Say Yes'. Momo gasped and pointed at the parking lot, which caused Rukia to look and gasp as well. Written on the ground in chalk was:

_Will you go to the dance with me?_

"B-but who…?" Rukia asked, looking around for a sign of somebody other than Momo.

"Right behind you," said a male voice.

Rukia smiled, turned around, and launched herself into the boy's arms, giving him a tight hug and saying yes repeatedly. The boy smiled at Momo and mouthed 'thank you' to her. Momo just grinned at him in response. Momo slipped away unnoticed, heading back downstairs so she could walk home. Because she was helping Ichigo with his plans for Rukia, she had missed out on the opportunity for a ride with Toushirou, who had to head home immediately to get ready for practice.

Just as she was leaving the school, she bumped into somebody, ending up in the floor. "Just because I'm short doesn't mean you can bully me," the voice said playfully.

"Toushirou?" Momo asked. "Don't you have practice?"

"Cancelled," Toushirou replied. "Coach came down with the flu."

"I see," said Momo, hiding her glee. "Why are you still here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Toushirou asked her. "I came here to taunt you because I can drive and you can't."

"Very funny," said Momo, letting Toushirou help her up and trying not to blush at the contact.

"I know," said Toushirou, smirking at her. "But really…I was just wondering if you might…maybe want to…go grab a burger or something before we head home?" he asked really quickly.

"That'd be great!" Momo said excitedly, walking to Toushirou's car alongside him.

He let out the breath he had been holding and smiled, opening Momo's door for her. They arrived at the small burger joint five minutes later, Momo ordering a cheeseburger while Toushirou ordered two double cheeseburgers with bacon.

"How can you eat all that?" asked Momo incredulously as Toushirou inhaled his second burger.

"What can I say?" he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm a sixteen-year-old guy. All of us are natural garbage disposals."

Momo nodded—apparently Ichigo wasn't a weirdo (when it came to eating, at least)—as she popped the last bite of her burger into her mouth, smiling as she savored the delicious flavor. "That was really good," she said. "Thanks for taking me here."

"My pleasure," replied Toushirou, sucking his chocolate shake through the straw—or trying to, it seemed to be proving difficult.

Despite all of her protests, Toushirou had ended up paying for the pair's food, insisting that it was the proper thing to do as a man. Momo found that really sweet. They hopped back in the car, both not wanting this day to end, and Toushirou slowly started driving back to the Kurosaki house, stopping at the front door.

"Well," he said. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Toushirou," she replied. "And thanks for the burger."

"No problem," he said.

They sat in silence, Momo not making any move for the car door handle. She didn't want to leave him. But the silence grew a bit tense as it wore on, both of them not wanting to say what had to be said.

Finally, Toushirou broke the silence. "So, Momo…I'll, uh…see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," she said, still not making a move to exit the vehicle. "Hey, Toushirou…" she began nervously, hoping this was the proper time to ask this question.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I wanted to know if you, um…wanted to hang out on the night of the dance since both of us aren't going?" she asked in one breath.

Toushirou grinned at her. "That sounds great," he said. "Pick you up at eight?"

Momo smiled back at him. "That's perfect!" she said before hugging Toushirou and bravely kissing him on the cheek. Before he had time to react or respond, she said, "See you tomorrow!" before hopping out of the car and dashing inside.

Isshin, who had already finished work for the day, quickly jumped back from the window. "Momo! How was your day?" he asked, pretending that he hadn't just been spying on her and Toushirou.

"Good," she said.

"You and Hitsugaya-kun, eh?" he asked her.

Momo blushed. "Not yet."

"So you do like him!" Isshin exclaimed. "This is great news! Just wait until I tell Masaki that a member of the youngest generation of our family has fallen in love!"

"But what about Ichigo?" she asked, but Isshin had already skipped into the main room.

Momo shrugged and headed upstairs, knocking on Ichigo's door. "Come in," came the call. Momo walked in. "Hey Momo, where'd you and Toushirou go?"

"To grab burgers," she replied. She then sheepishly admitted, "We're hanging out on the night of the dance."

"Good for you," replied Ichigo. "Good luck with that."

"Thanks," said Momo, smiling brilliantly at him "And good luck with Rukia." She started walking out of the room. "Just make sure you use protection. "

"Hey!" called Ichigo from behind the closed door.

Momo shook her head at herself. Ichigo was so easy to bait.

* * *

><p>When Momo and Ichigo stepped outside the next day, Toushirou called Ichigo's name instead of Momo's. "Sorry, Momo!" Toushirou called to her. "Ichigo and I need to have a guy-to guy conversation."<p>

Momo shrugged, hiding her disappointment from him. "Don't worry," said Rukia. "We can have a little girl-to-girl."

Momo nodded and walked alongside Rukia as Ichigo got into the passenger's side of Toushirou's car before they drove off. Momo and Rukia walked in silence for a few minutes until Rukia said, "Thanks."

"Thanks for what?" asked Momo, confused.

"For helping Ichigo ask me to the dance," replied Rukia, glancing at her friend.

"Me?" asked Momo innocently. "I had nothing to do with it. That was all Ichigo."

"Come on," said Rukia. "You and I both know Ichigo isn't smart enough when it comes to girls to do something like that." Momo remained stubbornly quiet. "And I saw you grinning as I was looking at the question."

Momo sighed melodramatically. "Fine. You caught me. I was just making sure he didn't mess it up."

"Thanks for helping him," said Rukia sincerely. "That was much better than him just asking me."

Momo laughed. "That was his original idea."

Rukia grinned. "And thanks for spilling the beans to him despite the fact I told you not to tell anyone."

"Well…I…" stammered Momo nervously. "I didn't…I would never…"

"I said 'thank you', not 'I hate you'" said Rukia, rolling her eyes. "If this is the result, I don't care that you did it."

Momo exhaled. "It was for your own good," she said.

The pair walked for a bit longer before Rukia broke the silence again. "What about you? You convince Toushirou to go to the dance yet?"

"No," replied Momo happily, a dreamy smile on her face. "We're going to hang out together on the night of the dance, just the two of us."

Rukia grinned at her. "What are you two going to do?"

Momo shrugged, still smiling like a fool. "I don't know and I don't care. As long as it's with Toushirou."

Rukia laughed. "You, Momo, have got it bad."

"I know," Momo replied. "It feels great."

"I know," said Rukia. "You already know what you're going to wear on the fateful night?"

"No," said Momo nonchalantly. "I don't really know where we're going. Don't want to be overdressed."

"Just dress casual, but nice enough to pass off as semi-formal," said Rukia.

Momo nodded. "That's a good idea. I'll do that."

The two arrived at school and went up to the classroom, where they sat next to the guys they had just been talking about.

* * *

><p>It was Saturday, the day of the dance, and Momo was nervous. She was wearing a knee-length skirt and a nice black T-shirt. Luckily, it was a warm December night.<p>

She couldn't believe the day had finally come. Now that it was here, she was mostly feeling nervous and excited, though mostly excited. She had spent time alone with Toushirou before, of course, but today was different somehow. It seemed more intimate now that she had asked him somewhat formally.

"How do I look?" she asked Yuzu, who was playing with Bostov on the floor.

"You look great!" Yuzu exclaimed, eyes lit up with wonder. "You'll sure impress this guy. He won't even know what hit him!"

"Thanks," she replied with a smile.

Ichigo opened the door and asked the same thing as Momo. He was wearing a dress shoes and pants with a long-sleeved button-down shirt and a tie.

"You look great too, Onii-chan!" Yuzu said.

"Rukia won't even know what hit her," Momo said with a grin.

"Same goes for Toushirou," said Ichigo. Then he smirked at her. "Be sure to use protection," he said before closing the door. Momo blushed but stopped herself from calling 'Hey!' like Ichigo had.

"Protection?" asked Yuzu, confused. "Who are you going to fight?"

Momo laughed. "You'll learn soon enough."

The doorbell rang at that second, and Momo dashed downstairs only to find Ichigo talking to Rukia and inviting her in. She came inside and hugged Momo, who hugged her back. "You look great, Rukia!" she said, winking at Ichigo, who rolled his eyes.

"I could say the same to you," said Rukia, grinning at her. "You have fun at your date."

Ichigo opened the door again, shepherding Rukia out. "I will!" called Momo. "And you have fun on yours! If Ichigo hasn't kissed you by the end of the dance, give him a smack from me!"

Rukia laughed and Ichigo looked back to scowl at Momo, making her smile grow. They would be fine.

As Rukia was pulling the door shut, Toushirou's car arrived at the curb in front of the house.

Showtime.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! Please Review!**


	7. All I Want is Your Love

**A/N: The final chapter! I'm sad to see this ending yet happy I will be able to start a new one!**

**Please enjoy and remember to leave me a review!**

**Chapter 7 – All I Want is Your Love**

Momo walked to Toushirou's car somewhat tentatively and slowly, trying to give herself time to quell the butterflies in her stomach. It wouldn't be good if she acted rashly and stupidly.

She slid in to the passenger seat, blushing as she said, "Hi, Toushirou." Then she berated herself mentally for blushing.

"Hey, Momo," replied Toushirou, just looking at her.

They sat in silence for a minute until Momo cleared her throat and said, "Er…Toushirou, shouldn't you start driving?"

"What…? Um, right," said Toushirou, shaking his head and pulling away from the sidewalk.

After a couple more minutes of awkward silence, Toushirou said, "You look really beautiful tonight, Momo."

"Thanks," replied Momo, looking out of her window to hide yet another blush (Toushirou was making it really hard not to). "You look pretty good yourself."

Toushirou didn't reply, but only smiled the rest of the time he drove. They arrived in front of the most expensive restaurant in Karakura Town, Toushirou stepping out of his car and tossing his keys to the valet. Momo got out of the car, staring at the restaurant in shock. She had never dreamed that she would ever go here in her life. "Toushirou…what?" was all she managed to say.

"Come on," grumbled Toushirou, grabbing her arm and pushing her in front of him, seeming to hide behind her.

Both Momo and Toushirou were severely underdressed from what Momo could see. They walked up to the man in charge of seating, who sneered down at Momo and said, "Not only do we not have any seats, _little girl_, but even if we did I wouldn't let you step even one foot into this establishment."

Momo, still in shock, did nothing but gaze up at the man with wide eyes. Toushirou cleared his throat from behind her and stepped into view. "I don't think the owners of this establishment would appreciate you treating potential customers in this manner," he said dangerously.

The man gulped, giving Toushirou a weak smile. "I'm sorry, Mr.—" Momo, still dazed, didn't notice the sharp look Toushirou gave the man, "—um, sir. I didn't see you there. You're quite right of course, I shouldn't be treating people like that. Please follow me, we have a VIP booth available."

Toushirou nodded, grabbing Momo's arm and steering her through the crowd behind the man. They were seated in a secluded booth at a table lit with candles. "Your waiter will be with you in a moment," the man said quickly before seeming to flee back to his position at the front door.

Toushirou sighed and slumped back against the booth in relief as Momo finally came out of her daze. "Wow, Toushirou, this place is amazing! But…um…we shouldn't have come here."

"Why not?" he asked, confused.

"Well…there's no way I can afford eating at a place like this!" she admitted, biting her lip in worry.

Toushirou cracked one of his rare smiles. "Don't worry, I've got it taken care of already," he said, humor lacing his voice.

"But—"

"I already told you," interrupted Toushirou. "I've got it taken care of. I have a lot of money, remember?"

Momo gave him a weak smile. "Yeah…I guess."

"So stop pestering me with questions," Toushirou said. "You focus on choosing what you're going to eat."

Momo looked at her friend for a few seconds, eyebrows furrowed. "Right," she finally said, slowly picking up the menu in front of her.

They didn't speak again until their food had arrived both out of nervousness and the fact that they were both thinking furiously.

Momo was wondering why Toushirou was taking her here. She knew that his family was well-off, but she was just his friend, why was he shelling out so much money for her like this?

Meanwhile, Toushirou was just hoping that _they_ wouldn't show up despite their promise not to do so. Their promises really weren't worth anything when it came to interference with his personal life.

"So…" said Momo nervously, trying anything to break the awkward and somewhat somber silence that had fallen over them. "That was pretty funny yesterday in P.E. when Rangiku-chan was hit in the face by the soccer ball, huh?" she asked in a lame attempt at conversation.

Toushirou was happy for an excuse to stop thinking so hard and worrying over what was most likely nothing. "Yeah, it was really—"

"Toushirou!" exclaimed a beautiful blonde woman of about 40, a big smile on her face. An equally good-looking brown-haired man was standing on her right, an arm around her waist.

Toushirou sank low in his seat, his face twisted in an odd mix of fury and embarrassment. He didn't reply to the woman.

"Oh, is little 'Shirou embarrassed?" asked the man teasingly, grinning at Momo.

The woman held out her hand for Momo to shake. Momo tentatively took it, throwing a confused look at Toushirou, who was glaring at the table, his face red. "He's always been embarrassed of us," the woman said, laughing a beautiful, lilting laugh afterwards.

"I don't know why," the man said, also shaking hands with Momo. "You must be Hinamori Momo. Toushirou has told us both so much about you."

Momo blinked and Toushirou sighed. "These are my parents, Momo. I wasn't expecting them to be here," he said through clenched teeth, "especially when they explicitly promised that they wouldn't come tonight."

"Well, we just had to meet your first real friend, darling!" the woman said. "How could you have expected us to resist?"

"Not to mention the fact that she's a real knockout, son!" the man said, punching Toushirou's arm playfully and causing Momo to blush.

"Nice to meet you, Momo," the woman said, flashing the once-again-dazed girl a smile. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your meal!"

With that, Toushirou's parents walked away to talk to a waiter, leaving the teens alone again. Momo was looking at Toushirou in concern as his clenched fists were shaking as he tried to glare a hole in the table. "Toushirou…are you okay?"

"Yes," he snapped. "Are you almost finished? I just want to leave. I can't _believe_ they came here tonight!"

Momo stared at Toushirou, eyes wide. She hadn't seen him this mad since the first day of school when they had received their partners for the big project. "I-I'm finished," she silently said.

"Good, then let's go," he said, standing up. He roughly grabbed her wrist and pulled her through the crowd at a swift pace. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his car to arrive.

They got in and Toushirou peeled out of the parking lot. They rode in silence for a few miles, Momo looking concernedly at Toushirou, who was glaring out of the windshield as he gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. "T-Toushirou, why didn't you pay?" she quietly asked. "And you didn't pay the valet man, either."

"Why do you think my parents were there and talking to the waiters as if they were friends?" Toushirou responded harshly with a question of his own, though this one was rhetorical. "My parents own the damned restaurant, Momo. That's why we sat in the VIP booth and that's why we didn't pay a damned cent."

"Th-they own the restaurant?" asked Momo in awe.

Toushirou snorted. "They own over half the businesses in Karakura Town."

Toushirou's driving became more aggressive and Momo decided it would be wise to stay quiet. "So I imagine you want me to take you home and never speak to you again, huh?" he asked, though it didn't sound remotely like a question.

"Why would I want you to do that?" Momo asked, confused.

"Now that you've truly seen the extent of the power and money my family possesses, you've probably figured that I'm another rich, spoiled brat, haven't you?" demanded Toushirou harshly.

Momo felt tears prick her eyes. "I can't believe you'd think that of me," she said. "I know you, Toushirou. I know you're not a spoiled brat. And I'd appreciate it if you stopped taking your anger out on me."

Toushirou looked over at Momo in shock, his anger rapidly dissipating. "I-I'm sorry, Momo. You're right, I shouldn't take my anger out on you. I just thought…it seems to be the common reaction to that news…that's why I didn't want my parents showing up," he admitted.

"It's alright," she said quietly.

"I really am sorry," Toushirou said quietly after a few more minutes driving and a change of course. "I didn't mean—"

The car suddenly made a lurching motion and slowed down, causing Toushirou to stop talking. "What's happening?" he asked nobody in particular.

"You're out of gas," said Momo, pointing at the gauge.

"But I just put in a whole tank yesterday," he said disbelievingly as the car completely stopped. Toushirou, thinking quickly, had already pulled over onto the shoulder of the road. "Great," he said, sighing and stepping out of the car. "My favorite dream: being stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere without gas." At that second, the skies opened up and splattered the teens with rain. Toushirou sighed, folding his arms. "We should have stayed in the car."

"Where are we?" asked Momo.

"Just outside of town," said Toushirou. "I was taking you up to the cliff that overlooks the town. Thought it'd be cool."

Momo's heart melted at the thought of how romantic that would've been. As Toushirou turned his back on Momo to go back to the car, Momo snatched his keys out of his hand and locked the car by pushing the button. Toushirou spun around, confusion etched on his face. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I think you just need to relax," she said. "It's just water. Who cares?"

"I care," said Toushirou bluntly, holding out his hand. "Will you please give me the keys now?"

Momo grinned evilly at Toushirou before taking off running into the field to their left, stepping straight out of her slip-on shoes. She didn't stand a chance, and Toushirou had caught up to her within a few hundred feet after recovering from his shock that she would do such a thing.

He leaned forward and grabbed her around the waist just as he slipped on the wet grass, causing both of them to end up in a heap on the ground. The position they were in was reminiscent of their first day of class as friends, after Toushirou had tackled Momo to get his bag back. Their faces were only inches apart.

Only this time, there was no one to pull Toushirou off of Momo. Instead, nature ran its course and Toushirou's lips slowly met Momo's, resulting in a soft, sweet kiss.

He pulled away smiling at Momo, who smiled right back. "Toushirou," she whispered before bringing her lips up to meet his again in a slightly more passionate kiss. "I'm glad you didn't want to go to the dance."

He smiled at her. "What's so special about paying to dance in a gym around a bunch of other people?" he asked, standing up and pulling Momo with him. He put both hands on her waist and began swaying back and forth.

A bright smile lit up Momo's face and she let her arms find their way around Toushirou's neck. There wasn't any music but for nature around them, they were wet, with their hair plastered to their faces, it was pretty much pitch-black, and they had no way of getting home.

But they had kissed, and they had love, and they were dancing in the rain all alone, and they had never been happier.

**A/N: I know, the ending was a bit sappy (and abrupt) and the characters were a little-sorta OOC, but that's the way this story is ending. Not **_**exactly**_** the way I had envisioned it when I first started writing the story, but still pretty darned close!**

**I hope you enjoyed this story and I hope you read my next one, which I think I will post the first chapter of within the next week!**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


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